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Welcome to Fostering Diversity Among Staff and Students. This orientation module is intended to present ICC manager with the rationale that underlies an important artifact of Illinois Central College’s culture – it’s Diversity Pledge. The expectation is that the new manager will come away from this training module with the understanding of why Illinois Central College has developed a Diversity Pledge, its definition, and what the College’s expectations are for the manager in modeling behaviors that support these valuable intentions.

We’ll start with a simple question: “What comes to mind when you think of or hear the word Diversity?”It’s a fairly innocuous question on its own though the range of responses, both in individual and group settings, can be quite broad. Nevertheless, the conclusions from such an exercise are fairly simple:

The term Diversity means different things to different people. It does not exist as a static definition or construct. Be careful not to underestimate the importance of this simple observation, for some impressions of the term elicit positive ideas, while some are negative.Responses often touch on the foundational issues of culture: that these are learned patterns and behaviors, and as such, develop over long periods of time.Finally, how we recognize and appreciate the differences in and among these patterns has led to significant changes at Illinois Central College in the last 5 years.

Highly complex, rooted in human behavior, difficult to typify, and developed over long periods of time … so, why should the College focus on Diversity?

Highly complex, rooted in human behavior, difficult to typify, and developed over long periods of time … so, why should the College focus on Diversity?

Several converging national trends and statistics help to underscore the need for ICC to more closely consider its role and responsibilities to the many different people it serves. They highlight, among other things … A Shrinking Workforce and the competitive impact of Globalization Declining Birthrates of those long considered Majority Members in Society, and conversely … Increasing Numbers of “Minorities” The Growth and Changing Role of Women in the workforce Increased attention paid to religious plurality and “culture wars” on a variety of divisions, and The “Graying” of America

Consider also that … Today, almost one in three Americans identifies themselves as a racial or ethnic minority. Nearly one out of every five school-aged children in the U.S. speaks a language other than English at home. By 2010 nearly half the total workforce of the U.S. will be comprised of women and people of color. And by the year 2050, one fourth of the total U.S. population will be of Hispanic ethnicity; and half of the total U.S. population will be comprised of people of color.Factors like these support the imperative for Illinois Central College to carefully consider its relationship to and its recognition of concepts of Diversity.

And these trends and statistics have been felt in our direct experiences in Central Illinois and at ICC. Consider that …- Only a slight increase of 1% is projected for the area’s total population by the year 2018.- That within most all minority groups, regional projections indicate significant population growth, some by more than 20%.- Also, the number of working aged adults is projected to decrease by 3% or nearly 7,000 individuals in central Illinois. And that the population of minority students at ICC has grown from 13.6% in 1999 to 16.5% in 2007.

Hard data like these are difficult to ignore, and on their own should warrant a concerted response on the part of the College.But a second reason for ICC’s commitment to Diversity is even simpler: Valuing people … respecting and valuing the differences among us … is good for our organization. It’s good for business. It helps make our work lives more fulfilling, productive, more engaged.

Extensive Research by the Gallup Organization has indicated that the work lives of employees are more fulfilling and more engaging when they can say with a high degree of certainty that someone at their place of work cares about them as an individual.Furthermore, this same body of research points to increases in productivity and profitability in companies that score highly on this dimension.And anthropological research also suggests that we are descended from stocks of human beings whose legacy is an innate need to work with other humans. And while our work lives may not resemble the nomadic tribes of centuries past, many of these innate tendencies remain.Managers who illustrate understanding of and sensitivity to differences among those they supervise, show the concern for their self worth. Consequently, we know we’ll be better able to harness the benefits that come from employee engagement.

In response to this substantial body of evidence, and an internal assessment of the position and climate at ICC, College leadership felt prompted to make a formal, proactive response to these changing world and regional conditions – one rooted in the Core Value of Responsibility.Out of the College’s Strategic Planning process in 2005 (check date) arose a formal Strategic Initiative, which stated, ” Illinois Central College will reach out to, attract, and retain a diverse student body and employee group and play a leadership role in community diversification initiatives.”Strategic Initiatives at ICC set in motion plans of action whose progress is championed and regularly monitored by the College’s Executive Leadership – its Cabinet.

In this case, the implementation of the Strategic Initiative on Diversity involved four key steps: The Establishment of the Department of Diversity at ICC The Hiring of an Executive Director of Diversity The Affirmation of a Diversity Pledge, or a formalized position statement on behalf of the College, and … the Development of Comprehensive Diversity PlanOnce the Department of Diversity had been established, and the College’s first Executive Director of Diversity hired, work began on the crafting of the Diversity Pledge.

“Illinois Central College stands committed to diversity in all of its dimensions. The college embraces, values, and encourages diversity at all levels of its operation. The college stands for tolerance, non-discrimination, and cultural sensitivity.“Inclusion is at the core of Illinois Central College&apos;s educational and service strategies. Respect for diverse individuals will be evident in the college&apos;s interactions with students, employees, and the communities it serves.”Embracing diversity is an ongoing endeavor at ICC and in any organization, and the College believes that new facets of diversity are discovered regularly which foster new awareness among our students and employees, and necessitate new or broadened approaches to valuing and creating engagement from them.

As an institution, ICC has asked itself what level of cultural competence are we seeking and the result is our Diversity Pledge. If we examine the Pledge from the inside-out, we find several inherent questions. For example …

What does it mean to for us to embrace, value and encourage diversity? How do we demonstrate tolerance, non-discrimination and cultural sensitivity? How and why is inclusiveness the core of our education and service practices? What behaviors demonstrate respect for the College’s students, employees and community?Chances are that our individual perspectives of diversity are and always will be in a constant state of change, but what aspects might be constant? What are those competencies we can strive to instill in our students and employees through our institutional practices?Some of the following core concepts may be of help.

Think back to the very first question posed to you by this orientation module: “What comes to mind when you think of or hear the word, Diversity?” Chances are very good that some of the responses elicited by this question fell along the lines of primary and secondary dimensions of categorizing or describing people. Such as … AgeEthnicityRaceGenderPhysical AbilitiesSexual OrientationOr, perhaps they fell along the lines of …IncomeEducational backgroundMarital statusReligious beliefsGeographic locationParental Status, or Perhaps some others

Furthermore, these fundamental distinctions assist our efforts to alter the perception of mandated compliance with state and federal laws to a position in which valuing diversity accommodates and supports our mission.Whereas strict legal compliance on its own connotes only … a Remedial level focus on changing historic patterns of discrimination; a Reactive stance to Problem Response, and suggests no approach to Cultural Change …A position in which we Value Diversity requires … A Strategic focus, led by the notion of increased innovation and the creation of competitive advantage, A Proactive, Opportunity-Driven climate, and A deliberate Change in Organizational Culture

As a manager at Illinois Central College, taking these concepts to the next level – where one models these desired behaviors – is an expectation. However, the College realizes that recognizing the many ways in which valuing diversity plays into the action of its employees is not always an easy or immediate adjustment for some.To this end, the College’s Department of Diversity strives to proactively address training and facilitation needs of its students and employees.

ICC Diversity Training Module

1.
“What comes to mind when you think of or hear the word Diversity?”

2.
What comes to mind?• The term means different things to different people.• Responses touch on the foundational issues of culture: learned patterns and behaviors.• How we recognize and appreciate the differences in and among these patterns has led to significant changes at ICC in recent years.

4.
Why Focus on Diversity? It speaks to the Core Valueof Responsibility.

5.
National Trends and Statistics• Shrinking workforce and globalization• Declining birthrates of “majority” members in society• Increasing numbers of “minorities”• The growth and changing role of women in the workforce• Religious plurality and “culture wars”• The “graying” of America

6.
National Trends and Statistics• Today, almost one in three Americans identifies as a racial or ethnic minority.• Nearly one out of every five school-aged children in the U.S. speaks a language other than English at home.• By 2010 nearly half the total workforce of the U.S. will be comprised of women and people of color.• By the year 2050, one fourth of the total U.S. population will be Hispanic; half of the total U.S. population will be people of color.

7.
Impact on Our Region and ICC• Only a slight increase (1%) is projected for the area’s total population by 2018.• Regional projections indicate significant population growth for most minority groups• The number of working aged adults is projected to decrease by 3%, or nearly 7,000,in central Illinois.• The population of minority students at ICC has grown from 13.6% in 1999 to 17.63% in 2010.

9.
Body of Evidence • Gallup research: work lives of employees are more fulfilling and more engaging when someone at work cares about them. • The same body of research points to increases in productivity and profitability in companies that score highly on this.• Anthropological research: our need is to work with other humans.• Employers want to hire people with multicultural experience and skills; and global knowledge.

10.
Strategic Objective “Illinois Central College will reach out to, attract, and retain a diverse student body and employee group and play a leadership role in community diversification initiatives.”

11.
In Support of Strategic Objective• Implementation of the Strategic Initiative involved … – Establishment of the Department of Diversity at ICC – Hiring of an Executive Director of Diversity – Affirmation of a Diversity Pledge, a formalized position statement of the College – Development of Comprehensive Diversity Plan

12.
ICC as an Institution As an institution, ICChas asked itself what level of cultural competence are we seeking and the result is our Diversity Pledge. If we look at thePledge inside-out, we findseveral inherent questions:

13.
The Diversity Pledge: Questions• What does it mean to for us to embrace, value and encourage diversity?• How do we demonstrate tolerance, non- discrimination and cultural sensitivity?• How and why is inclusiveness at the core of our education and service practices?• What behaviors demonstrate respect for the College’s students, employees and community?

18.
What does modeling behavior mean?• Recognition of and response to situations in culturally sensitive ways which support ICC’s commitment to diversity.• Decision making that reflects ICC’s commitment to diversity.• Opportunities to serve in a leadership capacity to demonstrate ICC’s commitment to diversity.

19.
Assignments in Support of Diversity• Participation in a Diverse Hiring Workshop• Taking part in at least one of the many diversity programs and activities in a meaningful way

22.
A special thanks to the original managertraining team at Illinois Central College that developed the content for this module. Click the Mark Reviewed button below this video to make the quiz available.